


The Way Light Swallows Shadows

by TheSevenUmbrellas (RosyPages)



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: All main characters will be in here but those are the main ones, Alternate Universe, BAMF Klaus Hargreeves, Claustrophobic Klaus Hargreeves, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, M/M, Modern David "Dave" Katz, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Romance, Vampire AU, Vampire Hunter Dave, Vampire Klaus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26328547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosyPages/pseuds/TheSevenUmbrellas
Summary: Dave is a vampire hunter who has never hunted a vampire in his life.Klaus is a vampire made for a war that ended before he was even born.When ten years of peace are put at risk after the death of a hunter, they’re both faced with the possibility that maybe the war isn’t over after all.Separated from their respective sides, Dave and Klaus have no other option but to depend on each other to get home before a war can tear their lives apart.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz
Comments: 24
Kudos: 57





	1. It's What My Heart Just Yearns To Say

**Dave**

Dave had always thought the name Red Strings Club sounded ridiculously raunchy for what it was. In reality, it was nothing more than a hollowed-out warehouse for locals to gather and pretend like they weren’t grinding on their neighbors. Music blared through speakers hooked to the ceiling, and the house specialty was the cheapest vodka money could buy from the town’s best and only liquor store. The “red strings” were nothing but threads of red strobe lights hanging from the ceiling.

He was technically there to keep an eye out for vampires, but he hadn’t seen any yet. The club was dark and crowded and literally the last place on earth Dave wanted to be, which meant the vampires loved it. Patrol was an old song and dance the Handler had kept up even ten years after the treaty had been signed. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to be looking out for, but the Handler always said _never trust a vampire_. It made sense to send them out every now and then to keep an eye on things.

He was supposed to be working with Diego and Eudora. They’d snuck away for a “quick dance” over forty-five minutes ago. He knew they weren’t coming back. There was a rule against drinking while on patrol. There was a rule against separating while on patrol. There wasn’t a rule against dancing, but he was fairly sure there should’ve been.

All in all, he’d been hoping for a better first patrol. The Handler usually sent out more experienced hunters… or, at least hunters who’d actually fought a vampire before.

Dave was a little inexperienced.

Maybe more than a little.

He’d been excited at first. He knew technically there wouldn’t be any action, but he’d at least been hoping for… something…

Diego at least had the decency to throw a rum and coke into his hands before he went. Dave didn’t like rum or coke, but he felt better with a drink. At least it helped him not stick out like a sore thumb. He’d dressed just about the same as every other douchey guy in the club; faded jeans and a loose t-shirt. Unlike the rest of the mortals, at least the weighted silver chain hanging from his pocked had a use.

He could see Diego and Eudora dancing from his safe space half hidden by the wall. Well, Eudora was dancing. Diego was just jumping around her in a weak approximation of dancing. The two of them looked like they were taking part in some odd sort of mating ritual like birds.

He sighed and raised the drink to his lips. And then instantly gagged. It tasted disgusting. Like shoe polish mixed with maple syrup. Who even liked this stuff? He set it down carefully on the nearest table and then checked his watch again. They’d official passed the hour mark.

He glanced at Eudora and Diego again. They didn’t seem like they were stopping any time soon. How long did The Handler want them out?

Pushing off against the wall, he waded through the thick crowd. Harmony wasn’t a big town. Even during the war, it was barely a blip on the map. But it felt as if every single resident had decided to attend _The Red Strings_ club that night. Not that Dave could entirely blame them. There wasn’t much else to do in the town other than fishing or hunting.

He found Diego and Eudora waving their arms around in the middle of the dancefloor. Eudora was tilting dangerously, and Diego’s eyes were droopy from the alcohol.

Dave cleared his throat.

They didn’t seem to notice him. Diego was giggling into Eudora’s ear. Apparently, something was absolutely hilarious.

Dave tried to clear his throat again, louder.

Eudora, at least, turned and beamed at him. “Hey!” she sang, “Are you enjoying your first ever patrol?”

Diego rolled his eyes. “Eudora-”

“What?” she hummed, “he’s all grown up now.”

Dave felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He was twenty years old, and privately thought he’d grown up quite a long time ago. Eudora and Diego were in their thirties though, which meant by the time they’d been his age, they’d spent a long time fighting vampires. They’d both been the ones to train him, and he’d kind of been expecting patrol to be his chance to impress them. At least a little bit.

“There… aren’t any vampires…” he said slowly, feeling how lame the words felt on his lips.

Diego put his fingers to his lips. Or tried. He missed by a mile and poked himself on the nose instead. “Shh,” he hissed, “do you want the whole town finding out?”

Dave looked around. The only mortals around were too busy jumping in time to the music.

“We could leave,” he tried again. “Patrol the streets or something?”

Diego just snorted. “Why? You want to spend another night wandering the streets for vampires that aren’t going to be there, go ahead. I’m good here.” With that he turned back to Eudora, bumping her nose with his, smiling into her mouth.

Gross. Dave shifted his feet, wondering which option would get him out of the club faster. He liked the idea of wandering the cool, clean, empty streets, but the Handler had always hammered into them that they should never go looking for trouble alone.

“The Handler would want us to-”

Diego rolled his eyes, groaning. “Dave, bro. The Handler’s paranoid. We’re fine. Go grab another drink. Loosen up.”

Dave’s brow knitted together. They weren’t supposed to be drinking. They were supposed to be on duty.

Eudora pushed Diego away and squeezed Dave’s shoulder. “Come on, dance with us.”

Still, Dave didn’t move.

Diego groaned again, clearly annoyed at the lack of drinking and dancing he was getting done. “I know you have a hard-on for impressing her, but I promise you the Handler does not care about you. Or what we do, okay? Patrol is just a way of getting her off our asses. A vampire hadn’t attacked anyone in over a decade, and hate to break it to you, but war isn’t going to break out _here_ of all places on your first day of patrol.”

Dave’s stomach sunk. He tried not to let the hurt show on his face. He nodded. “Fine.”

He spun on his heel, making his way back through the throng of people. The mortals were heavy against his, pushing and shoving. He had to fight his way through, almost being thrown to the floor more than once.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, and he turned, half expecting Diego with an apology. It wasn’t Diego. It was Eudora.

She smiled at him, and he hated the sympathy on her face.

“Come on,” she said, steering him away from the dancefloor with an expert’s grace. Even after ten years she was still a warrior. She still moved like one wrong move could end it. She guided them safely to the wall, her arm still slung around his shoulders.

“I know you were expecting something else,” she said. “I’m sorry patrol isn’t what you wanted. We didn’t want to crush your hope by telling you. I thought that maybe once you were out here you’d want to have some fun with us.”

Dave scowled at the floor. He felt stupid and embarrassed. “Is this what it’s usually like?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah… usually. Listen, I know it sucks to hear but Diego’s right. No vampire or hunter is going to break the peace, and if they are… it’s not going to be here. We go out because the Handler wants us to… That’s it. She’s paranoid.”

He just shrugged. He knew she was right… he just wished someone had told him.

Eudora nudged his shoulder. “Just a couple more hours, okay? Then I’ll buy you pizza when we’re done. There’s this _great_ pizza place open all night down the street. We always go there.”

That earned her a wry smile. The Handler very rarely let them eat anything unhealthy. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten real pizza.

Eudora released him, obviously please in her success. “Two hours tops, alright?” she called, and then disappeared back into the crowd.

Dave was left on his own once again.

Outside the club, the air was crisp and cool against his skin. He figured hiding out there was better than waiting for them inside the club. At least outside his could breathe. The street was mostly empty, with just a couple people walking by, obviously already drunk, falling over the sidewalk.

Maybe he should just go home. Diego was right anyway. The Handler probably wouldn’t care if he showed up early. It was better than staying at the club anyway.

“Oh hey, you’re Dave right?”

Dave almost jumped out of his skin. He wasn’t alone outside after all.

There was a man leaning against the wall, spinning a cigarette between his fingers. Even if he hadn’t recognized him, the eyes would’ve given it away. They were a dark, wine red.

All vampires were beautiful, as a general rule. Dave wasn’t sure if that came with the territory, or they only picked outrageously good-looking mortals to join them. Either way, this one wore his beauty like an unkempt coat. His hair hung in tangles around his face, hiding sharp cheekbones and eyes ringed in eyeliner that might’ve started the night well, but was now smudged around his skin like a panda. Dave had dressed to fit in, but the vampire had no such notion. His skinny black jeans were more rips than fabric and he wore a floaty crop top drenched in glitter.

When he pushed himself off the wall, his whole body swayed with he momentum. He might’ve had the strength and grace of a vampire, but he looked as if a light tap might’ve knocked him over.

Dave hadn’t met many vampires personally, but he’d attended a few meetings with The Handler before. He recognized this one.

“Klaus…” His lungs tightened. “What’re you doing?” They shouldn’t be talking together. He was quite sure that was implied. Vampires and hunters didn’t mix. That didn’t even need to be said in the rules, it was that obvious.

Klaus just snorted, waving a hand at him. “I’m not gonna suck your brains out, don’t worry.”

Dave should’ve left. He should’ve just gone back inside.

But he’d been sent to _watch for vampires_ , and here one was, out on a smoke break. If the Handler had been there, she’d have wanted him to stay with the vampire.

Right? Just in case…

“Isn’t it blood?” he asked, when the silence had stretched on long enough for him to realize Klaus expected him to respond. “Suck my blood?”

The vampire shrugged. “Could be.” He raised the cigarette to his lips. The tip flared red against the dark.

Dave wondered if he could even taste the smoke. He couldn’t stop himself from staring. A vampire. In front of him. Not in a meeting, separated by sides, but right in front of him. Here. On patrol.

Klaus snickered. “You’re a real motor mouth, huh?”

“Huh?”

“You know you can talk to me, right?” He gasped, mockingly. “Or are you going to have to check the rulebook for that one?”

Dave scowled. They didn’t half a rulebook… it was more of a pamphlet. He wisely kept his mouth shut before he could manage that retort. “What’re you doing here?” he asked, instead.

Klaus lazed against the wall, flicking the ash of his cigarette somewhere behind his shoulder. “Well, it all started when a big bad vampire decided to suck all my blood out and-”

“I meant outside.”

He shrugged, giggling to himself like Dave had said something funny. “Smelled weird in there.”

“Weird?” he repeated. Somehow, he didn’t think he was talking about the sweat and alcohol.

Suddenly the vampire jumped up, tossing the cigarette into the air, and clapping his hands together. “C’mon, follow me.”

“Wait, where are you going?” Dave asked. Despite himself, he didn’t hesitate to do as he was told and follow Klaus back towards the entrance of the club. “I’m supposed to be watching you.” The words left his mouth before he could stop them.

Klaus laughed, but Dave got the feeling he was laughing with him, and not at him the way Diego and Eudora had. Still he felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting patrol to be like at all, even after he’d found the vampire.

Suddenly, Klaus was taking his hand in his and tugging him through the door.

“Won’t you get in trouble?” Dave asked as they stepped back into the wave of heat and sound together. The vampire’s hand remained cool against his palm. His stomach clenched at the thought of Eudora or Diego noticing. Luckily, he didn’t see any sign of them.

“For what?” Klaus grinned, teeth flashing in the red strobe lights.

“For talking to me.”

He snorted. “What’re they going to do? Kick me out of vampire club? Come on, I want to dance.”

Dave pulled back, suddenly realizing way too late where he was being led. Okay, it was kind of obvious, but still. “I… don’t dance…”

That made Klaus laugh even harder. “It’s not a tango. Just move your body. C’mon or I’ll look stupid doing it by myself.”

What Dave wanted to say was _you’ll look stupid with me, anyway_. He didn’t. He didn’t move either though.

Klaus poked at him. “You have to watch me, right?” he said with a small, teasing smile. “Don’t you have to fit in to do that? You can’t just stand in the middle of the dance floor doing nothing.”

Dave supposed the (blood sucking monster) vampire had a point. He forced him body to move just a little, bobbing up and down like he’d seen Diego and Eudora do earlier. Before the alcohol had hit too badly. The music was grating, and heavy against his chest. He could feel the vibrations through his skull. He didn’t know how people danced to it. There was no fluidity, just a heavy hammer over and over again.

It took him an embarrassingly long time to notice Klaus giggling.

Dave stopped moving and crossed his arms. His face burned. “I’m just doing this so we don’t stand out. It was your idea!”

“I’m sorry,” Klaus said, still laughing. “You just look so uncomfortable.”

“You do it then!” Why was he arguing with a vampire about dancing, anyway?

He shrugged and started moving in time with the music. Or at least, some sort of music. Not the music playing, definitely. Klaus moved like a gangly giraffe, all long limbs and swaying into people. Every movement was overshot and dramatic.

“Aren’t vampires supposed to be graceful?” Dave asked, before he could stop himself. Insulting vampires in a nightclub had never been on his to do list for his first patrol.

Klaus didn’t seem angry though. He gasped in mock horror, a hand going to his chest. “Me? I am the _most_ graceful vampire.”

Dave shrugged and had to look away to hide his smile “Sure you are.” _What am I doing? I’m not supposed to be finding vampires funny!_ But Klaus didn’t seem like a murderous monster. He wasn’t a soulless beast. He was just… a little odd. And a little charming. Not that he’d admit that to anyone. Ever.

“I am-” Klaus suddenly paused, sniffing the air. Something shifted in his face. The light darkened and his skin seemed to harden into glass. All at once the playful humanity was gone. “I smell…” But then he shook his head. “Man, they must have some weird new drink or something, I’m telling you. I- oh, look. Here comes trouble.”

Dave followed Klaus’ line of sight, to find Diego forcing his way through the crowd, shoving humans out of the way with a scowl on his face.

Either he was in trouble, or he was about to find it.

Dave turned back to Klaus, and suddenly he was inches away from him. This close, he could see his smudged eyeliner, the way it spiderwebbed around the corner of his eyes. “I owe you a dance lesson,” he said with a grin wide enough Dave was sure his cheeks must’ve ached.

He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t have to. Klaus was gone the next second, disappearing into the crowd.

It wasn’t until Diego grabbed his arm that Dave realized he’d let the vampire slip through his fingers.

“Hey, there you are” Diego said. His voice had sobered up some and was back to its rough tone. Dave pulled away, half expecting a lecture. He couldn’t shake the feeling he’d done something wrong, even though he wasn’t sure what. Diego didn’t sound angry though. “There you are. Eudora. You seen her?”

Dave shook his head. _I’ve just been hanging out with a vampire for the last few hours. I have not seen my fellow vampire hunters, actually._

Hadn’t she been with Diego?

He growled. Actually growled. Only Diego could do that. “She went after you and I haven’t seen her since.” He glanced around, as if expecting her to pop up somewhere. He hoped she wouldn’t. It would’ve been just Dave’s luck if she’d been watching the whole episode with Klaus. Not only would she have seen him with a vampire, but worse, she would’ve seen him _dancing_. “Man, she always wanders off like this. I’ll keep looking around here, can you just check outside? She’s going to get really annoyed with me if we’re late getting back.”

Before Dave could answer he was gone, slipping back into the crowd again.

He was left standing in the middle of the club. Alone. Again.

Dave figured he would’ve seen her if she’d left the club the same way he and Klaus had come in. It was odd she’d disappeared. He’d assumed she’d gone straight back to Diego. He wondered what could’ve distracted her.

There was only one more exit in the back. He fought his way through, narrow avoiding spilled alcohol and drunk humans. As he moved, he kept an eye out for Klaus as well. But it seemed the vampire had disappeared as well. Dave didn’t know how he felt about that.

Outside the back of the club was much the same as the front. There was a small roped off area for smokers and a cluster of dark, closed up shops. The street was mostly empty except for a couple of humans clustered in the corner. Either they were about to start making out, or were taking a small break from making out. Either way, they didn’t even look his way as he bolted through the door.

There was no Eudora though.

Dave turned to the two humans who had started kissing again. “Hey.”

They ignored him.

“Um, excuse me?” he tried again, louder.

One pulled away long enough to glare at him. “What do you want, kid?”

Kid?

“Sorry… did you see a woman come this way?”

“I don’t know. I think someone did. They went down there.” She flicked her fingers around the corner.

Dave nodded, and left them alone to finish… whatever they were doing.

He followed the path she’d pointed at, walking away from the lights of the club, and hoping he wasn’t about to find a drunk guy peeing in the corner.

At first, he thought the stains on the pavement were vomit or alcohol. Nothing seemed wrong until he heard it. A strange, snuffling sort of sound. Like a starving animal.

The sound made his heart drop, though he didn’t know why. He picked up his speed and turned the corner.

Eudora lay on the pavement. The silver chain that had been around her waist was stretched out from her palm, half coated in thick red blood.

A figure stood above her. In the darkness, Dave couldn’t make out anything but the gleam of white fangs and red smudges around its mouth.

He froze. He needed to do something. His chain. The silver. Call Diego. Move. Save Eudora. Anything.

He begged his body to move, his brain to kick into gear.

He was stuck. His heart pounded. His lungs burned. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move.

Eudora was dead.

Oh.

Eudora was dead.

Suddenly Diego was there, charging past Dave, chain in hand. The vampire jumped up hissing. Red spittle flung from its mouth. Dave felt flecks falls on his cheeks. He couldn’t move. Eudora was dead.

Diego knelt over Eudora. He pat her hair, called her name. The vampire was gone. Eudora was dead.

Dave couldn’t move.

Diego was crying. Sobbing. Howling. He was begging Eudora to open her eyes. She couldn’t. She was dead.

Eudora was dead.

Dave couldn’t move.


	2. In ways that can't be said

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego and Dave grieve for Eudora, while the Handler plans their next move.

**Dave**

It was the number one rule; never trust a vampire. They were soulless monsters. Murderers. The Commission had fought them for hundreds of years. He should’ve known. He’d had been raised to _know_. He thought of Klaus’ face in the blood red light, his fangs flashing. He’d laughed. He’d been charming. And Dave had fallen for it.

Had Klaus known? He must’ve known. Maybe that had been their plan all along. Take out the weakest link, meanwhile Eudora was-

But why? Ten years of peace, broken in a single night.

Dave and Diego had been stuck in medical as soon as they’d arrived back home. He didn’t know who’d taken Eudora’s body. He didn’t know why they were in medical. He didn’t know what to say to Diego.

He hadn’t spoken a single word to Dave since they’d found Eudora. He’d debriefed the Handler with clipped, short sentences. No emotion, no anger. _They had been separated. Dave had been sent to look outside. Diego went looking for the both of them when he didn’t come back. He found Dave standing over Eudora’s body. The vampire had fled as soon as it saw it was outnumbered. They’d remained with the body until backup had joined them._

Like a recipe book. One cup of dead body. Two and a half cups of cowardly vampire hunter. One vampire. Best served cold.

He hadn’t put the blame on Dave’s shoulders, hadn’t even mentioned the way he’d froze… but he had a feeling the Handler could read between the lines. He should’ve attacked on sight. He should’ve called for help. He should’ve done _something_.

That had been hours ago, and they hadn’t seen anyone since.

Despite all his years with the Commission, Dave had never step foot in the medical room.

During the war, The Gentle Elephant Hotel had once been bursting with hunters. Almost every room had been filled. Even the Board had stayed there on occasion. But now, the hotel was nothing more than a shell. Most hunters had moved on, happy to take on mortal lives with normal jobs and a real home. They had barely a skeleton crew left. The medical room had been part of the collateral damage, shut off along with a basement full of old weapons and armor.

Eudora had shown Dave their old weapons locker once. It had been filled with old torture devices. Silver files, razor stakes, even an old instruction manual on defanging. He’d gone green looking at it all, and she’d laughed at him for weeks afterwards.

His heart ached at the memory.

The medical room had been newly cleaned out for their arrival. There were a couple of gurneys pulled out from storage for them and little else. The floors were a dark, dusty gray and there were no windows to tell if time was passing. It must’ve taken up a good portion of the hotel basement. The big, empty room stretched far into the darkness, separated only by a few curtains no one had bothered cleaning up ten years ago.

Diego sat on his gurney, head bowed. In his hands was a small, silver pocketknife. He ran tip over his thumb over and over again, feather light, never breaking skin. His eyes were half-lidded and red rimmed, either from crying or lack of sleep. Probably both.

Dave had tried to talk to him a couple hours ago. He’d opened his mouth, throat dry, and had barely managed a, “Diego-” before being cut off.

“Don’t.” The words had been spat in his direction, barbed and burning. “Just don’t.”

The guilt that’d been building in his stomach since the night before had turned to nausea in his throat. What could he say? He’d been given his chance, and he’d messed up. Eudora was dead.

That had been the last time either of them had spoken.

Until Diego looked up. His movement was so fast, so unexpected, Dave almost toppled off his gurney from the shock.

He stared deep into Dave’s eyes, his own flaming with anger. “She’s dead because of you, you know?”

Whatever Dave had been expecting, it hadn’t been that. He stared, hoping silence was the best choice. But Diego seemed to take it as a challenge. He made a noise in the back of his throat, a mix between a laugh and a sob. “You just stood there,” he said. “She was dead, and you _just stood there_.”

Dave felt a lump forming in the back of his throat so thick and painful he couldn’t breathe. “I-”

“No, I’m talking now,” Diego snarled, jabbing the knife haphazardly at his own chest. “Where did you go, anyway? Where _were_ you?”

Shame throbbed in his stomach. Diego was right. He should never have left them. He knew better. If he hadn’t stormed off, Eudora wouldn’t have come after him. Eudora wouldn’t have been alone.

Never trust a vampire. He’d fallen into their trap.

“I’ll do better,” Dave whispered to the floor.

Diego jumped up, hand hammering on the side of the bed. “No, Dave. It’s too late for that. She’s gone. She’s _gone._ ”

He was saved by the door wrenching open, and the Handler walking inside.

She was a woman who commanded the attention of every room she entered. Her smooth blond hair was coiled into a tight bun, glimmering silver pins caught between the locks. She wore a tight, brown corset decorated with loose, silver chains instead of lace. Around her waist were long, thin stakes she’d once welded with deadly precision. The time for wooden stakes and chance had passed. The new stakes were cast in silver and looked like a sword hilt with a thick but sharp needle glued to the top. They got the job done. The stakes clinked together as she walked, tinkling like bells.

She’d been a hero during the war, taking out vampires up and down the east coast. She’d been gifted control of Harmony only two years before the war had ended, but she’d reigned terror on the town all the while.

Diego shot up, standing to attention.

Dave was slower, gathering himself into a sloppy salute.

She barely glancing in their direction, throwing her hands at them in a loose gesture for _at ease_. Diego lowered himself back down and Dave went to follow. Suddenly the Handler was there, waving him off. She perched herself on top of his bed himself, crossing her legs neatly and looking expectantly at him.

He glanced between The Handler and Diego, and settled on Diego being the best choice. He wouldn’t try to kill him while the Handler was there. Probably.

He pushed himself into the seat. Diego was sat dead center and refused to budge, so that even trying to keep as much space between them as possible, Dave was forced to wedge their shoulders together.

The Handler cleared her throat just as Dave settled into place. “I spoke to the Board,” she announced, her voice crisp with annoyance. She only _ever_ spoke about the Board with annoyance those days. Why couldn’t she increase patrols? The Board. Who was responsible for allowing the vampires too much freedom? The Board. Why was she stuck managing a failing hotel in the backwaters of Harmony? The Board.

“And?” Diego asked, darkly. His shoulders were still hunched over, as if he were physically carrying the weight of Eudora’s death.

She clicked her tongue. “Diego, I’m so sorry. I fought for you, I did.” she said, slowly. “But the Board is tying my hands.”

Dave furrowed his brow in confusion. What did she mean? Fought for what? Why were the Board even getting involved? To him, they were simply an unseen force, ever present but never given much notice. He knew they’d been instrumental in setting up the treaty years ago. Ever since, they’d served as little else but guardians, keeping an eye on what was left of the Commission.

Diego was shaking his head. “Then we do this by ourselves! We don’t need them. We’ll take the Vamps out one by one. They had their chance. The Board aren’t out here with us. They don’t know- they didn’t see...” He trailed off, jaw clamping down hard.

The Handler raised a hand, effectively soothing him. “They won’t take the threat seriously. It’s been years since the last vampire attack. They’ve gone soft. They don’t remember what it’s like. They weren’t on the front lines like we were.” She slipped from the gurney. Her heeled toes echoed sharply in the empty room as she walked deliberately around the two of them. Dave had a moment of feeling oddly like an animal in a zoo. The Handler wound her way around them, her fingertips slipping up Diego’s arm and squeezing.

It slowly dawned on Dave what they were saying. “Wait… you’re talking about attacking them back?” he asked, numbly. “War?”

Both Diego and the Handler stared at him. His face felt hot when he realized how obvious that should’ve been to him. The vampires hadn’t only broken the treaty by drinking from a human, they’d killed a hunter of all people. A human, they might’ve been able to get away with. But a hunter? The Handler would never have allowed them to get away with it.

She sighed. “We’re under strict orders not to take direct action. They want a meeting first.”

“Between us and the Board?” Diego asked.

“No. Between us and the _Hargreeves_.”

“What?” The word came out like a growl.

Dave couldn’t help but agree. Eudora was dead. Eudora was dead, and the Board wanted them to go through peace talks? Surely the time for that was over.

But then he realized what that meant. If there couldn’t be peace…

Maybe his wish for becoming a full-fledged hunter like Eudora and Diego would come true.

The Handler stood between him and Diego. Her perfectly manicured hands came out to squeeze their shoulders. She was warm and firm, holding them together. She wouldn’t let this go. They were together, a team. She’d won once, she’d do it again.

“We all knew it was only a matter of time before something like this would happen. I don’t blame you two. We were all taken by surprise.” She smiled, but her eyes were soft and sad. She’d practically raised Eudora and Diego. She’d trained them, just as they had trained Dave. She’d fought side by side with them for years. It must’ve been hard for her, losing someone she loved and still having to take charge. She couldn’t break for a moment to grieve. “I’m sure you did everything you could.”

_Everything they could…_ The guilt hit Dave full force. He felt the nausea from earlier burning in his throat. “Right,” he managed to croak, even as Diego glared at him.

The Handler just squeezed his shoulder one last time before pulling back. “We can prevent this from happening again. Anyone could be the next Eudora. We can’t lose anyone else. I know I can trust you. You two know what we’re dealing with. You know how dangerous they are.”

Dave met Diego’s eyes. She was right. He could do this. He’d learnt his lesson. Vampires couldn’t be trusted. He’d _never_ make that mistake again. Once again, he thought of Klaus. He’d looked him in the face and lied, meanwhile Eudora had been fighting for her life. Only a monster could do that. Now he knew the truth behind a vampire’s beauty.

He couldn’t read Diego’s face. There was nothing but grief in his eyes.

He’d learned too late.

Then Diego tore his eyes away and turned back to the Handler, offering a small secret smile between them that Dave felt he shouldn’t have witnessed. It was a smile between two friends who had lost someone together. He wasn’t part of that. He had been the one who’d caused the loss.

“We’ll go to the meeting,” Diego said, roughly. “We’ll hear whatever they have to say, and then we’ll kill them.” He said it so simply. One plus one equals two.

Dave found himself nodding.

One plus one equals two.

The Handler squeezed Diego’s shoulder. “I’ll set it up. You need some rest.”

He nodded, offering a thankful smile. Without glancing at Dave, he turned on his heels and left the room.

Then Dave was alone with the Hander. He wondered if he was supposed to have followed Diego, but he had the feeling he had yet to be dismissed.

She turned to him, her face sympathetic. “I wanted a word with you.”

“Ma’am?” he asked. _Him?_

“I’m so sorry for all of this, Dave.” Her voice almost cracked. She took his hands in hers, gripping him tightly. Her fingers rested where Klaus had grabbed his wrists. Her hands were reassuringly warm.

He stared at where their hands joined, then back up at her. He could see the cracks under her makeup. There were dark shadows under her eyes, and her face seemed tight and drawn. It’d been a long night for all of them. She was trying her best to keep them together, to do what was right. He knew that. “It’s not your fault,” he said, hoarsely. It was _his_. His fault. How could she be apologizing when he’d been the one to let Eudora die? The first monster he’d met, and he’d fallen for a smile.

She just shook her head. “It is. It is my fault. I… I should’ve known you weren’t ready. I shouldn’t have sent you out-”

“No!” he cried without thinking. “No, I can handle it. I can. I-” Messed up. Let Eudora died. Danced with a vampire. Danced with the enemy while his friend lay dying. Alone. “I’ll do better. Please.”

She seemed to study him for a moment, cool blue eyes raking over his face. He didn’t know what she saw. Fear? Guilt? Regret?

A traitor?

But eventually she nodded. “You have to be there. I trust you. You’ve seen what they can do firsthand, Dave. Don’t let what happened to Eudora happen to anyone else.”

The words died in his throat. “I- yeah. Yes… Ma’am.”

Her smile returned and she cupped his cheek gently. “Get some rest. You’ll need it. Tomorrow, stay close to Diego. He’ll know what to do.”

She followed Diego out the of the medical room, leaving Dave alone for the first time since the night began. He’d been so excited to go on patrol. He’d thought the Handler had trusted him. That Diego and Eudora trusted him.

That didn’t matter anymore.

Eudora was dead.

Whatever happened, he was going to be ready for it. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

He wasn’t going to hesitate.

One plus one equals two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you liked it.   
> This was only supposed be a few chapters but I kept thinking about it more and more, and here we are.
> 
> Please tell me what you think!! 
> 
> This is my first time writing a really long fic like this.


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